30 Day Glow Up Challenge for a Holistic Transformation

When you hear the term “glow up”, it’s usually referring to someone becoming a more beautiful version of themselves.  And while there is absolutely nothing wrong with becoming more beautiful, a glow up isn’t just about what you look like on the outside. 

It’s about what’s happening on the inside, too. Completing a 30 day glow up challenge results in a holistic transformation that will change the way you think, look, and feel.

If you’re ready for your glow up transformation, keep on reading for some simple tips you can start implementing today.

How to Create Your Own Glow Up Challenge Plan

Everyone has different aspects of their lives that they want to improve. So your glow up challenge should be based on what you’re trying to accomplish. Here are my tips for a successful glow up:

• Step 1: Make a list of things you want to improve. These will become your glow up goals.
• Step 2: Evaluate the items on your glow up list. Why do you want to improve these things? How will it benefit you? Are you truly making these changes for yourself?
• Step 3: Use some of the ideas below to get your started with your own plan. I’ll be covering how to glow up physically, mentally, and emotionally.
• Step 4: Track your journey. Take before and after pictures. Keep notes on how you feel before you start your 30 day glow up challenge and how you feel after.

Are you ready to glow up your life?

How to Glow Up Physically

So let’s start off with how to glow up in the physical aspect. I’m starting with this first because I know we care a lot about our looks. The physical glow up focuses on improving your skin, body, health, fitness, and overall appearance.

Take Care of Your Skin

When it comes to skincare, we tend to only focus on our faces. But skincare includes taking care of your whole body.

Face Care
For your face, create and follow a skincare regimen based on your skin type. Here is a very basic skincare regime to get you started:

• Remove makeup daily
• Cleanse 2x a day
• Moisturize 2x a day
• Exfoliate 3x a week
• Do face masks as needed

Body Care
No one wants a flawless face if the rest of the skin on your body doesn’t match. Here are some tips for body skincare:

• Shower daily with a natural soap. I love the Dr. Bronners Castile soap. It cleanses your skin well without overdrying.
• Follow up each shower with a moisturizing lotion. And if you feel like moisturizing after your shower takes too long, you can always use an in-shower moisturizer.
• Exfoliate at least 3x a week. You can use a loofah, an exfoliating cloth, or even a sugar scrub.

Find the Right Hairstyle

Your hair can make or break you. Have you ever had on the perfect outfit but your hair just won’t cooperate? The frustration!

So finding the right hairstyle will definitely take your glow up to the next level. 

You have so many styling options for your hair. You can decide to go bold with a new cut, some highlights, or even a whole new hair color.

Or if you’re like me and love to change up your hair frequently, you can try experimenting with wigs. They’re cute, affordable, and can be worn as a protective style.

Whatever you decide, don’t forget to take care of your own hair. Following a simple hair care regimen that includes regularly washing, conditioning, and moisturizing will help maintain the health of your hair.

Perfect Your Makeup Routine

If you already know how to do your makeup – great! If not, you can learn to do your own. 

Makeup enhances the way you look. You don’t have to wear a full-face of makeup, but there are a few things you can do to make you look put together:

• Maintain your brows. Fill in sparse brows with brow pomade and remove any unwanted hair.
• Use a concealer that is close to your skin color to conceal blemishes.
• Use mascara to lengthen your lashes.
• Add some color to your lips using a lip gloss or a bit of lipstick.

Maintain Your Nails

Don’t forget about your nails and toes. Keeping your nails and toes maintained gives you an overall polished look.

And no, you don’t have to spend all your money at the nail salon. There are a lot of great press-on nails on the market, and it’s really easy to give yourself a pedicure in the comfort of your own home.

Upgrade Your Wardrobe

Dress the part! Upgrade your wardrobe. Some wardrobe basics are:

• Dark denim jeans
• Nude shoes (heels, wedges, or flats)
• Jean jacket
• A cute shoulder bag or purse

Remember to wear clothes that fit and are flattering to your body.

Try mixing and matching pieces that you wouldn’t normally wear together. You can find a lot of wardrobe ideas on Pinterest.

Eat Healthy and Drink Water

Find a way of eating that is suitable to your lifestyle. Limit your intake of processed foods and sugar. Don’t just eat healthy for the time being, this is something you want to continue even after your reach your glow up goals.

Here are some things I do to maintain my health:

• Eat vegetables with at least 2 out of my 3 main meals.
• Eat fruits. I prefer grapes, strawberries, watermelon, and grapefruit.
• Plan my meals ahead of time when I can.
• Pay attention to when I feel full so that I don’t overeat.
• Drink plenty of water!

Exercise Frequently

Move your body. Start exercising. The key to starting and sticking with an exercise routine is finding something that you actually like. 

I find walking to be very boring, so that’s not my exercise of choice. I like to dance freely or follow along with something on YouTube.

One of my favorite workout videos is by EMMA Fitness on Youtube. She’s energetic, has great music, and definitely gets you moving.

Maybe try some yoga, skating, or even kickboxing. Just move your body!

Get Enough Sleep

We’re a society that’s always on the go, and sleep tends to be the last thing on our minds. But we have to get enough sleep to function.

At least I do. If not, I go through the day all fuzzy-headed. Try getting at least 6 to 8 hours of sleep every night. 

How to Glow Up Mentally

Your mental glow up focuses on shifting your mindset, setting goals, and learning new things. Glowing up mentally is just as important as your physical glow up.

Meditate

Start meditating a couple of days a week. Start with five minutes of meditation until you can do it for a longer amount of time.

I like to meditate at night right before I go to bed. Some benefits I’ve experienced since meditating are

• Mental clarity
• Less Stress
• Feelings of peace

Michael Sealey on YouTube has some of the best meditation videos. I highly recommend you check him out.

Shift Your Mindset

Learning how to shift your mindset is important to your overall glow up. If you don’t believe you can glow up, you won’t glow up.

Start going after the things you want in your life. Let go of your fear of failure. Silence your negative thoughts. Create more positivity.

Also, stop caring about what other people think of you. All that matters is what you think of yourself.

Identify and Set Goals

Think about goals you want to achieve now and in the future. Make a list and create an action plan for the SMART goals you want to accomplish.

Increase Your Knowledge

Never underestimate the power of knowing more. Learning new things opens you up to new experiences and allows you to connect with other people. So read a book, watch a documentary, and stimulate your brain!

How to Glow Up Emotionally

Your emotional glow up focuses on getting to know yourself better, evaluating relationships and acknowledging your emotions.

Practice Gratitude

Take a few moments every morning to practice gratitude. This is a great way to start your morning on a positive note.

Grab a journal or your phone and make a list of things you’re grateful for. Try to write down at least 5 things every time you make your list.

Answer Journal Prompts

Answering journal prompts is a great way to get to know yourself better. The prompts allow you to answer questions that help you figure out who you are at your core.

Social Media Detox

Take a break from social media, especially if you realize it’s causing you harm. Are you comparing yourself to people on social media? Is it making you feel stressed or less than?

If so, you need a break for your well-being. Even if it’s just for one day. 

I know it can be hard to stop accessing social media cold turkey, so some other options could be limiting the time you spend on it to maybe 30 minutes a day or only logging on 3 days a week.

You just have to figure out what works best for you. 

Evaluate Your Relationships

Think about the relationships you have with other people. Are these relationships healthy? How do these relationships make you feel?

If you realize you’re in a toxic relationship, romantic or friend-wise, it’s time to start distancing yourself from that person. Create an exit plan and remember to focus on self-care as you prepare yourself for this change.

Also, remember you’re better off without the stress and headache of relationships that don’t bring value to your life!

Glow Up Challenge Completed

There are so many ways to glow up. And you’re worth every ounce of effort that you’ve put into becoming a better version of yourself.

After you complete a glow up challenge, here are some things you can expect:

• Increased confidence. You’ve set goals, accomplished them, and now you’re reaping the benefits.
• Ability to make better decisions. Isn’t your mind so much clearer?
• A more positive mindset now that you’ve cut out the toxicity in your life.
• You’ll look better because you put in the work to improve your looks and live a healthier lifestyle.

Keep glowing, keep improving, and keep growing. Your glow up never stops. You GLOW girl!